A long road to citizenship

After growing up missing her father while he was pursuing the American dream for their family, Claudia Calderon knew she wanted to move to the United States, too.

Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

After growing up missing her father while he was pursuing the American dream for their family, Claudia Calderon knew she wanted to move to the United States, too.

Calderon lived in Mexico with her mother while her father, who couldn’t violate his visa by leaving the country, worked to gain his citizenship so he could reunite his family.

"It was difficult not having my father, but he didn’t forget about us," Calderon said.

Calderon, now 28, was finally able to move to Framingham about six years ago.

"It was such a surprising moment, when (my dad) told me all the paperwork is done and I could come," Calderon said.

And just two weeks ago, Calderon achieved her ultimate American dream by taking her oath and officially becoming an U.S. citizen.

Calderon’s process began with English classes at the Framingham Adult ESL Plus program, offered as part of the public schools, just a few months after she moved to this country. Last year, she began taking the program's citizenship classes.

"It’s a bit of a long process, but I thought it was so interesting," Calderon said. "Sometimes people will be here and not know a lot of things about where they’re living. I’m so excited to know so much about my new country."

Since her father had gone through the citizenship process, it was easy for Calderon to decide she wanted to as well, but other immigrants have a much harder time taking that step.

"Even with a green card, you’re not safe in this country," said Peg Wheeler, an Irish immigrant from Bellingham who is taking citizenship classes in Milford. "You can be deported at any time and that’s the fear."

Madelyn Hennessy, the citizenship program administrator for Catholic Charities who organizes classes in Milford, Worcester and Leominster, said she hopes to dispel the fears of legal immigrants who have earned their chance to apply for citizenship.

"Since 9/11, it’s been more and more difficult to become a citizen because there’s really an anti-immigrant sentiment in this country," Hennessy said.

Charlie Bishop, who teaches a class in Milford, said the classes have yet to take off there because immigrants are afraid of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and even of their neighbors.

"Too many people without an understanding of English and without fair skin are looked down upon and they shouldn’t be," Bishop said. Bishop, a veteran, said he hopes to pass his love of this country on to his new "brother and sisters." "I think it’s very important for anyone here, in America, to take that oath and become citizens."

Hennessy said it is important to distinguish between legal immigrants and illegal.

"These immigrants are not costing us money or trying to take welfare," said Hennessy, noting the $680 application fee for citizenship. "When people become citizens, they get better jobs and contribute more to the economy. It’s a good thing for the economy."

"These are people that are really going out of their way to do the right thing and help our country. These are people we should be admiring because this is what our country was built on," Hennessy added.

Other locals going through the citizenship process said it wasn’t fear that discouraged them, but confusion.

"It’s intimidating, knowing all the bureaucracy that goes into it," said Neil Queen, a Milford resident from Great Britain who has lived in the United States for 15 years. "If you fill one thing out wrong, they send it back to you."

Queen said he simply would have renewed his green card if he hadn’t heard about the classes being offered in Milford.

"I jumped at the chance to have someone help me through the process," Queen said.

Wheeler, who has lived in the United States for 50 years, said she tried once before to apply, but was overwhelmed by the paperwork.

"They do need to make it easier," Wheeler said. "You have to go into Boston to get fingerprinted, then go to Lawrence for the interviews."

Hennessy said for many immigrants, becoming a citizen is about reuniting their family. Once a citizen, they can sponsor their parents and children to come here as well.

Hennessy said often, through the process of learning about this country, it becomes about much more.

"They are always so proud when they are sworn in, to take that oath," Hennessy said.

Contact Lindsay Corcoran at 508-634-7582 or lcorcoran@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @LacorcMDN.